About Us

About Us

The International Catholic Movement for Intellectual and Cultural Affairs (ICMICA-Pax Romana) is a global network of Catholic leaders and professionals from over 60 countries committed to the evangelization of the professional and intellectual milieu. Since 1946, ICMICA has been a space for global reflection and action on issues of concern for Catholic lay leaders and lay professional organizations.  Pax Romana ICMICA is recognized by the Holy See and is active in international civil society networks such as the Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations. It has a consultative relationship with the United Nations. In Kenya, KMCP is the official representative of Pax Romana-ICMICA at the UNEP/UN Habitat. ICMICA is an international association of the faithful, with private juridical personality according to canons 298-311 and 321-329 of the Code of Canon Law.  The aims of ICMICA are to:

  • Support the deepening of the faith and the coherence of life of its members.
  • Support the process of constant formation of its members in spiritual matters, in commitment, and in professional and intellectual matters by way of exchange of experiences, shared study, openness to the Word of God and the celebration of, and participation in, the life of the ecclesial community, in communion with the local Church, in which it is present, and with the universal Church.
  • Serve as witness of the Gospel in the various communities and environments with which it is involved and to contribute intellectually and professionally to a proactive dialogue between the Christian faith and cultures, and between faith and reason;
  • Act in defense of human dignity and human rights, for the construction of true peace on earth, for the eradication of all forms of poverty and injustice, and for sustainable development in harmony with nature;
  • Pursue its entire works on behalf of society in the light of the Social Teachings of the Church, and especially through the professional and intellectual contributions of its members;
  • Contribute to the path of ecumenism seeking the growth of communion between all Churches and Christian communities; and to be in dialogue, peace and understanding among religions.

In Africa, ICMICA has national federations, each with a unique name. These include: Benin (Mouvement International des Intellectuels Catholiques du Benin); Cameroun (Mouvement International des Intellectuels Catholiques du Cameroun); DRC  (Mouvement International des Intellectuels Catholiques du Congo); Ghana (Pax Romana ICMICA Ghana); Kenya (Kenya Movement of Catholic Professional (KMCP)); Rwanda (Union Xavéri des Adultes de Kigali); Tanzania (Christian Professionals of Tanzania (CPT)); Zambia ( Zambia Association of Catholic Professionals); Uganda (Catholic Association of Professionals of Uganda (CAPU)); Madagascar (Mouvement  Chrétien de Cadres et de Professionnels Catholiques (MCCP) de Madagascar);  Togo ( Mouvement International des Intellectuels Catholiques); Zimbabwe (Catholic Professionals Network Zimbabwe).

We also have contact groups that are in the process of becoming full affiliated federations in Botswana; Ethiopia; South Sudan, Lesotho; Malawi, Namibia, Burundi, Nigeria, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Botswana, Gabon.

Download:

INTERNAL REGULATIONS ICMICA AFRICA ENGLISH,

STATUTE ICMICA ENGLISH

STATUT DU MIIC EN FRANCAIS

Institutional capacity and experience

ICMICA-MIIC Pax Romana has previously implemented the following programmes in various geographical regions with tremendous success:

  • Capacity Building in Human Rights (with special focus on Universal Periodic Review (UPR)).

This was a five-day training offered to local Civil Society Organizations involved in Human Rights in Madagascar (in January 2014) and Kenya (in April 2014).  In each country, a joint National Shadow Report was developed and presented to the UN Human Rights Council as part of the local NGO UPR advocacy.

  • Capacity Building in Catholic Social Thought:

This was a one-day study session on Catholic Social Teaching in relations to the social-political challenges of Africa in Nairobi, Lusaka and Harare. An official communication from these study sessions and proposals going forward were recently shared with among others Msgr. Pietro Parolin, Vatican’s Secretary of State and Archbishop Josef Clemens of the Pontifical Council for the Laity. Similarly, the Catholic Social Teaching project was held in Kenya: This project aimed to educate Lay Catholic Professionals about CSTs and how they can apply CSTs in their daily lives as well as using CSTs to reflect on the social political challenges facing the country. The training primarily involved conceptual definition of CSTs and a deeper participatory reflection on the role of the Lay Catholic professionals in Kenya today in the light of the CSTs.

  • Leadership and Common Good Training. Together with Koinonia Community:

Pax Romana ICMICA Africa has been offering a course in Leadership and Common Good, based in Nairobi. The objectives of the course are to build an informed citizenry that can bring about positive social change and empower communities that can enforce accountability in public leadership.

  • Joint Africa/Asia Youth Summit on Faith and Environment meeting for July 2015.

In 2015, Pax Romana Africa (based in Nairobi Kenya) in conjunction with the Center for Peace and Solidarity (based in Seoul South Korea) gathered 50 youth, 25 from 10 different Asian countries and 25 from 10 different African countries for a three working days to reflect on the theme ‘The Future We Want: Integrating the Spiritual Dimension’. This gathering, based at the UN complex of Nairobi, brought youth from different religious backgrounds. A team of leaders from Asia and Africa accompanied them and introduced the theme and facilitated the sharing.

  • Growing the Movement in Africa and increasing its feasibility.

Not much attention has been paid towards Pax Romana ICMICA and IMCS collaboration and more so, a deliberate effort to ensure an automatic transition from IMCS to ICMICA. In this programme we aim for a closer collaboration with IMCS Africa through this joint activity themed: “Transition, Employability and Productivity of University Graduates Through Soft Skills”.

OUR FOCUS